On this day: June 17

2012: Rodney King, who became nationally known after being beaten with excessive force by Los Angeles police officers in 1991, dies at age 47 in an accidental drowning in the pool at his home in Rialto, California. An autopsy later revealed that alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and PCP were in his blood at the time of the drowning and were contributing factors to his death.

The British win at great cost at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Ted Williams belts his 500th home run, five burglars are arrested at the Watergate complex, O.J. Simpson goes for a ride, and same-sex marriage becomes legal in California, all on this day.